Admissions Questions: May 26

Q: I am a non-traditional applicant and have been out of school for a number of years. How will my application be evaluated?

A: At many law schools, including Lewis & Clark Law School, there is almost no such thing as a “non-traditional” applicant. Our applicants have very diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills. Furthermore, the average age of our incoming students is 26, but we have many applicants who are in their 30’s, 40’s, and sometimes older. We receive several applications from people applying years out of college who are often switching careers. On occasion someone may be retired and are planning the next phase of his or her life.

Our Admissions Committee reads every application file in its entirety, but not all factors are going to weigh the same for each applicant. For example, the GPA of someone who has been out of school for a long time will still be an element of importance in the application, but much less so than it would for a recent graduate whose academic performance is fresh and who has minimal work experience. Another example is that we will expect a recent college graduate to have letters of recommendation from professors, while someone who has been out of school for a few years would be more likely to have professional recommenders.

Please be assured that your work experience, age of undergraduate or graduate grades, and recommendations will all be considered within the scope of your own background and experiences.